


Between the Blurred Lines

by aelins



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Asexual Character, Body Image, Bullying, College Cheerleading, College Football, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fraternities & Sororities, Hazing, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, SOME rape and non-con elements, the anatagonist is a creppy ass mf'er, woooo ok let's dive in.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:34:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27306382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aelins/pseuds/aelins
Summary: Kara Miller is a freshman; a bright, happy, fluffy puppy. The story of puppy love, when fettered by a dramatic tragedy becomes a tale of strife.THIS IS AN ENTIRELY ORIGINAL WORKA contemporary, dark, college romance.
Relationships: Alexander Rosethorne/Kara Miller, Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 2





	1. Kara

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, ok this is going to be a long author's note. 
> 
> Somethings you should know. 
> 
> Kara is one of two POV characters.  
> Alex is the second POV character.  
> Megan is Kara's best friend.  
> Cody is Alex's best friend.  
> There's a football team, whom I will introduce you to! 
> 
> This work, all 20k words that have been written so far, are dedicated to the incredible people who have been my friends the last year. For Charlie, for Nola, for Lyddy, for Owen and for Kirsten and Heather. For MalRev too, for showing me the sky is the limit. To every single person who said I could do this. For the readers who look at the stars and wish, for the dreamers and lovers. 
> 
> This is the first original work I've ever hoped to post, and I hope it's as dark and gritty as we know it needs to be. First and foremost, this is a revenge fantasy. And I feel this needs to be said at the outset because it will cover topics I don't typically touch on in my works. 
> 
> _This is the story of a girl who is date raped and gets vengeance in every way imaginable on her attacker, then proceeds to live a happy life._
> 
> It is not a pretty story, it is dark and gritty and might make you squirm _a lot_. But it was the story I needed to tell. Some of you might think this is similar to Ninth House, and it is. There is no magic, however, this is a contemporary romance with many facets.
> 
> Thank you for 60,000 hits. I love each and every one of you.

It's the first day of College. Literally my first day as a real adult attending college in the big city of Boston, the campus is huge and I've been here for a week for orientation, but I still get lost as hell. I saw some maps a way back but I was too distracted to grab one.

The football team is wandering around and given that we're a Division One school I should be used to it after a week. They are huge! There was one of the older guys, he looked to be about seven feet tall. Speaking of football players I slam into a solid chest just as I round the corner.

"Ouch!" I say as I'm knocked onto the ground and I realize I've bumped (literally) into one of the football players.

Luckily I have my backpack with me so my books aren't all over the place. I'm just about fifty pounds heavier than I should be with books and notebooks.

The football player who, now that I'm looking at him, has blonde hair and a kind of sleazy smile —walks away! And then I realize the skirt I'm wearing is showing everyone my thong. It's a good day to be Kara Miller — not!

I haul myself off the floor and try to walk at top speed away from his group of friends.

I make it to basic biology about five minutes late but a lot of people seem to be filtering in still and everyone looks a little lost. I sit at the back, the lecture is broadcast on a big speaker system because the lecture hall is so big. I catch a flash of a letter jacket and I want to cringe away, but it's not blondie. No, definitely not blondie, this guy is... hot. And there's nothing sleazy about the lazy smirk he gives me. Nope, it's all quiet curiosity.

He gets his books out and introduces himself. "Alex Rosethorne, you must be Kara."

I blush, "Yeah, I guess cheerleaders are easy to spot when you're a football player."

He fixes me with a glinting smile, and I think this will work well as a seating arrangement for the rest of the semester. The lecturer literally just goes over the syllabus the first day but warns we will be getting "heavily into the material" next class.

I walk to my next class which is chemistry and Alex is in this one too but he sits with his football buddies. Chemistry is significantly more difficult than my abbreviated biology class. We actually go through the first chapter in the book and I'm lost within fifteen minutes.

I peer at the book cover, to make sure I have the right one, which I do.

From the sounds of it, the rest of the class is lost too, which is good, because it says in the syllabus that this class is graded on a curve. When the class is over it's time for lunch.

I'll be the first to admit I'm on the curvier side for a cheerleader. My mother insists that it's just baby fat, however, she's quite curvy herself. I sigh as I look over at the deliciously fried shit and know I cannot go near it. Unhappily, I pile iceberg lettuce with a tiny bit of Italian dressing onto my plate.

When I say I'm curvy, I have an hourglass shape, I have a rack that makes most girls jealous and an ass that attracts all the wrong attention, my stomach is flat though. I'm only five foot two though, so I'm a bit too heavy for my height.

The sleazy boy who shoved me is in line for the fried foods, and he leers at my ass and my tits. _Yeah_ , I get a lot of unwanted attention.

"Hey girl, hey," Megan says from behind me. She sprinkles a few croutons on my salad. She gives me a meaningful look, as if to say, _stop trying to starve yourself_.

"Hey, you." I drop my head to her shoulder and we check out with our lunches, and just as we're about to sit down Alex drops into a chair at our table.

"Hey Alex," I say, trying to keep myself from wondering if he really just flopped down at our table like a lost puppy. "Alex this is my best friend, Megan," I say trying to be polite and introduce them.

He holds out his hand and she shakes it gently.

"I heard Jack was giving you a hard time," Alex says slowly as if he's trying to broach the subject with great care.

I laugh humorlessly, "Yeah you could say that."

Megan gives me a, _why didn't you tell me_ , look.

"Just watch out for him. He went ballistic on this girl last night at dinner for spilling a drink on his jersey and I'm just telling you I wouldn't recommend setting him off." I didn't know Alex at all but something told me he knew something, something I didn't want to guess at.

Alex ruffled my hair and left and as soon as he was out of earshot, I mumbled into my salad, "He's sweet."

Megan twirled my hair in her hand and I tried not to let the strange way my morning had gone detract from the fact that I was doing cheer in just a few hours. Cheer always made me feel better.

"Do you think you've bitten off more than you can chew?" Megan asked tentatively.

"No, I did cheer and biology in high school, I can handle it," I say with a shrug.

"This isn't high school, babe." She says.

Some people would wonder what the nature of mine and Megan's relationship is if we're secretly together, and the answer is no, we're not. We're just very affectionate and I've known her since I was eight years old and that kind of sisterhood comes with a bond that's slightly intimate. She followed me to this school when I told her I was shooting for my dreams to go to Star University. I love her with my whole life, and she's always been there.

Just as soon as she calls me babe, someone shouts, "Lesbians!" At us and Megan throws a piece of her sandwich at them. No one wants to start a food fight their first day at a prodigious college so it fizzles out and I'm glad for Megan's boldness.

Cheer is up next, but I have a break so I go back to Megan's dorm and we change into our cheer outfits. It's late August and the east coast heat is sweltering. I know it won't last long, I did a little research on the weather in Boston and apparently, fall can be kind of brutal.

I'm from Washington State so the less moderate temperatures are not my friend. I miss the rain as well.

As we arrive at cheer I realize I've forgotten to put my hair up, and I gather it into a tight bun. We begin warming up and cheer, with the music and all the tumbling gets me feeling like a human again. Endorphins are running high and Alex runs past me in his football uniform and throws the ball to his teammates. He's only a freshman, but I've never seen someone with an arm like that. A lot of people downplay the athleticism of high school football players but I've seen some pretty remarkable stuff. The high school I went to had a high school football team that played on ESPN more than once. I know a good throwing arm when I see it and Alex... well I'd bet money on this team.

Cheer ends and the football players are heading into the showers. I think I need a shower as well, it was so hot today and we really worked the tumbling.

I'm about to pass the guy's locker room when I turn to see someone looking at me. Alex is there, a smile on his face that reaches his eyes. "I thought I was going to have to wipe your coach off the floor when you were tumbling."

I shrug, "I don't have thighs the size of a tree trunk for no reason."

Alex looks momentarily uncomfortable, "Don't talk about yourself that way, Kara."

I want to say something else self-deprecating but he disappears into the boys' locker room and I go have a nice long, hot shower. I braid my hair and change into clean clothes, deciding on a pair of capris and a pretty, cream shirt.

Megan seems long gone, so as I leave the locker rooms I decide to text her.

Me, 4:04 pm: I'm going to go take a nap.

Megan, 4:07 pm: Are you ok?

Me, 4:09 pm: I'm good, I was really excited last night and couldn't sleep.

She knows why I was excited, so she didn't text back and I made the long trek to my dorm. I flop into bed and pass out in a few minutes. When I wake up I have several missed texts.

Unknown number, 5:26 pm: Hi, this is Alex, I got your number from Megan. I wanted to invite you to a party tonight at the Sigma Delta Omega frat? You know a first-day bash, it's not going to be a banger or anything but there will be the guys from the team.

Me, 7:19pm: What should I wear?

Alex, 7:20pm: Just party clothes.

Me, 7:23pm: Is this a hazing? :/

Alex, 7:24pm: No.

I sigh with relief. Why has this guy taken a liking to me so much? I mean, yes, we're in all the same classes and he's drop-dead gorgeous, and on the football team and I'm a cheerleader. I gently bang my head against the wall and hope to god I can keep it together.

So I begin getting dressed and Megan comes in a few minutes later, she takes in my dress and nods, "You like Alex then?" She knows me too well.

I look up sharply, "He said party clothes."

She bites her lip, "That's a beautiful cocktail dress love, not party clothes."

I pull it off me and she rifles through my drawers and finds a pair of dark wash jeans, pulls out my thigh-high riding boots and a top.


	2. the taming of the foolish boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE IS A GRAPHIC HAZING IN THIS CHAPTER.

The party is in full swing when I see Kara enter in the party with Megan. Megan is a godsend, I think she understands how much I’m into Kara even though I barely know her. Well, I know her well enough to know that the look Jack Bloomberg is giving her right now is creeping her out. I know he’s been rough on her and I hate him for it. I’ve been here since July and he can’t get it into his head that chasing the same girls I’m into won’t work out well for him. He’s a sophomore and I don’t understand his infatuation with younger girls. There’s a rumor going around he let a high school girl come to a frat party last year. The thought disgusts me.

The funny thing about Jack is that I know he bought his way onto this team, I might come from money but I know a brownnoser when I see it. He’s not built like the rest of the team, sure he’s tall and in relatively good shape, but he’s not in the best shape of his life, like the rest of us, or maybe he is, which would be even sadder.

A few cheerleaders that aren’t Kara and Megan hustle past me making sure to gently brush against my arm. I get it, I’m not fucking blind, I know why girls want me but I’m not a cocky piece of shit, either. I love football and I love cheerleaders but this is not what I was hoping it would be. The party’s already swelling and I’m due to open the night’s activities in a few moments.

I sidle up to Kara and smile at her, most girls would trip over themselves to have me look at them like that, but she frowns and doesn’t return my smirk.

“What’s wrong, cutie?” I ask her playfully.

The music is loud and she has to shout over the people to be heard, “That guy, Jack? He just touched me and I didn’t like it.”

Now I’ve been around Jack long enough to know that he loves touching things he shouldn’t. The man is a bull in a china shop and a bit of a perv. I bush Kara’s hair over her shoulder, watching the long strands cascade down her back. “You look really good.”

Her cheeks flush and I wonder if she knows the effect she has on people, even when she’s wearing something completely modest. As a matter of fact, it’s her modesty that turns me on even more.

So I curl my arm around her shoulder and she leans into me. We’ve seen each other around campus for two weeks and I don’t want to fuck up my chances. “So can I get you a drink?”

“I think I’ll have Megan get my drink.” She says shrugging. Megan is headed over with a red solo cup with coke and vodka.

I like their friendship, and I’m glad Kara isn’t taking drinks from strangers, even if that stranger is me.

Kara drinks a sip and then offers me the cup, noticing I don’t have a drink. She doesn’t take her eyes off me for a second, and I try to sip from a different side of the cup than she did, just so I don’t gross her out.

I’m about two beers in and nowhere near drunk enough, “What is everyone going upstairs for?” Kara asks me.

“I’m about to jump into a pool full of ice water from a second-story window so people are anxious to get a good view.”

She laughs and the sound is so feminine and soft… I feel the blood rushing south. She looks like she’s getting her drink on, so I squeeze her hand and say, “You should go outside, maybe grab a towel for me.”

She smirks and we part ways. She goes outside, taking a towel off one of the chairs. I head upstairs and try to get my mind ready for this.

There are people with cameras and Kara is there with Megan among the crowd, a bunch of people is crowded into the small room. I jump into the ice water and something happens because I don’t remember much, I simply wake to flashing lights, and Kara and Megan, Cody, Rob, and Ryan all circled tightly around me.

Kara is sobbing and they’re talking about the hospital and how I should go, and that I was lucky someone pulled me out of the water. I shake off the blankets they have me under and try to leave the stretcher but one of the guys holds my shoulders and says, “Stay still buddy.”

I’m starting to freak out a little and I realize that maybe this was hazing, they told me I would be allowed in if I did this dumb thing. _You’d be welcomed with open arms_ I remember one of the older guys from the frat saying to me. They’re taking away someone in handcuffs when I finally convince the paramedics to not take me to the hospital. There’s a small cut on my head which doesn’t seem bad but I brush my fingers against it and a bolt of pain goes through my whole head. The paramedics and the cops pull away and I have a lot of questions.

Kara comes up and hugs me. “Fuck, Alex, I thought you were dead!” She’s got a few errant tears on her cheeks and I brush them away.

“Who pulled me out?” I ask, softly because I think I know who it was.

“Me and Cody. I pulled you off the bottom, I’m a lifeguard and Cody got you out of the pool.” Another tear streaks down her cheek. She’s got a nasty bruise on her arm and I brush my fingers against it.

“You saved my life,” I say slowly, slightly awestruck and sad at the same time. She didn’t owe me anything, not just for being friendly and now I owed her my life.

“You complete fucking idiot! That’s not the point! You weren’t _breathing_.” And now her sobs return and I realize how much of an asshole I’ve been.

“But I am now, and I want to make it up to you,” I say tucking her wet hair behind her ear.

“Don’t… don’t do that. You’re in so much trouble. The fraternity is facing legal charges and your teammates are all scared to death their star quarterback will get kicked off the team.” She rants and I want to tell her I’m fine, I have a bad concussion but that’s it, nothing that hasn’t happened before.

“Let me take you home Kara,” I say. Of course, I’m not offering to drive her, but I’d have my driver, drive her.

“Megan drove us, but she’s had about five coke and vodkas. She does that when she’s upset.” Kara says, and her eyes are looking past me.

I nod, “I can take you guys back to my place and Megan can sleep it off on the couch.”

She shakes her head, “You can’t drive.”

A smirk curves the corners of my lips, “I don’t need to.”

I let Kara find Megan and we leave the frat which has mostly emptied out since the cops left.

Megan is beyond shitfaced and I wonder what has her so upset she had to drink if off. My driver comes around front with a big black Tahoe and Kara and I get Megan into the front seat with only a little difficulty.

“Thanks,” Kara says quietly once we’re in the back and on our separate sides. She buckles her seatbelt and we pull away from the front of the frat.

The drive home is nearly silent and if I wish I had something to say to her, like ‘I’m sorry I put my life in danger to get into a stupid frat’ or ‘I’m sorry you almost saw me die’ but nothing eloquent comes to mind.

Right before we pull up, she reaches out and squeezes my hand. “I’ll cover for you with the dean if you need me to.” She offers.

I hadn’t thought of the dean. Or my parents. God, my father was going to kill me. “That won’t be necessary. It’s my fault.”

She shakes her head and we come to a stop, “No, I won’t let the team lose you. It wouldn’t be fair to them.”

I nod, knowing she’s not doing this for me.

We shuffle Megan into the apartment and I throw a Benjamin at the driver, “Please don’t tell my mother.”

He’s an older man, no doubt he’s been working for my family for a long time and has witnessed some fucked up shit, “Of course Mr. Rosethorne.”

Being called Mr. Rosethorne makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I don’t want to be called that… ever.

Kara is waiting when I come into the foyer of the athletic dorms. She fixes me with a stare that I’m not sure what to make of so we just help Megan upstairs and hope she doesn’t puke in the elevator.

The athletic dorms are like the Ritz of dorms, even I’ll admit it, it’s nice. They come completely furnished and none of the furniture is bolted down like in the regular dorms. They have comfortable furniture and so, so much space. I don’t know what they think we’re doing in there, we’re not playing sports in the dorms. It’s nice though so I don’t complain.

Megan collapses onto the couch and we cover her up and make sure she’s comfortable.

Kara walks away and makes for the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I ask her.

“Back to my dorm.” She says quietly, not making eye contact.

“I need someone to take care of my wounded ass,” I say, trying to make a joke and from the way, the light leaves her eyes I know I’ve just made a big mistake.

She points her finger into my chest, and begins shouting at me, “I wasn’t going to yell at you, you know, because I thought, maybe he’s really sorry about committing such an act of _dumbfuckery_ , and hey! Maybe you liked me! But I’ll tell you one thing right now, if it hadn’t been for me, you’d be _dead._ No one there knew what to do, and if it wasn’t for your buddy Cody you’d be in the morgue right now, pal. I don’t ever want to hear that you did something so reckless ever again!” She’s breathing hard and her cheeks are red with anger. I hate myself because I can’t remember anything that happened and I feel pretty alright.

I touch her cheek, “I’m sorry I scared you.”

Her face softens and I wonder if she will want to stay.

My answer comes with the _click_ of the door and her retreating back.

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me [on the bird app](https://www.twitter.com/sanktaleks) / [tumblr](https://feyesand.tumblr.com)


End file.
